The present invention relates to the field of the cosmetic and microsurgical treatments. In particular, the present invention relates to a microdermabrasion apparatus and to the components making up the apparatus, operating by a pressurized flow of air and reducing substances, preferably corundum.
Several technical solutions to produce a microdermabrasion apparatus are already known, all comprising vacuum means and/or pressurizing means which send a flow of air and reducing substances on a tissue portion to be treated and then remove from that portion the abraded particles. A drawback of such systems is that the sterility of the various components is not guaranteed, without the use of complicated and expensive processes.
Italian patent application F194A000131, which corresponds to U.S. application Ser. No. 08/496,470 and is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference, describes a dermabrasion apparatus operating by a flow of reducing substances. The apparatus comprises a compressor, a vacuum pump, and three detachable one-piece components. The components include a mixing bottle, a collecting bottle for the abraded particles and a handpiece to touch the tissue to be treated. These components are preferably made of glass or plastic material and can be easily sterilized.
However, potential drawbacks of such an apparatus include the fact that the air pressurization is performed by a compressor placed inside the apparatus, making it necessary to sterilize the air because, during treatment, the compressor could be infected by bacteria which would be afterwards conveyed on the patient""s skin by the pneumatic system. Furthermore, while the above-mentioned one-piece components are sterilized after the apparatus has been used, they do not guarantee proper sterility when the apparatus performs succeeding treatments on different patients. A further drawback is that contamination can occur when the mixing bottle is filled with new reducing substances or when the collecting bottle is cleaned of the abraded particles.
One object of the invention is to ensure the sterility of the apparatus components in all circumstances, for instance when sterilization means, such as UV rays or an autoclave, are not available. A further object of the invention is to obtain easy replaceable, low cost apparatus components.
The present invention provides a microdermabrasion apparatus having disposable sterilized components which include easily interchangeable one-piece blocks. Such components include an already filled mixing bottle containing the reducing substances, a collecting bottle for the abraded tissue particles, and a handpiece contacting the tissue during the treatment. The handpiece, the mixing bottle and the collecting bottle are manufactured and sealed in a sterilized environment. According to an embodiment of the invention the components are made of plastic material, preferably polycarbonate, in order to reduce costs, and to make them particularly suitable for disposable use. According to a further embodiment of the invention, after manufacturing, the components can be packed in sterilized packagings which include either a single component or a multi-component kit. In this way, contamination risks are reduced from the manufacturing through use of the components. In order to avoid contaminating the reducing substances, preferably corundum, with particles of the handpiece material abraded in use, the portion of the handpiece most subjected to the abrasion effect is an abrasion-proof block made of a suitably hard material, for example glass or ceramics. According to a further embodiment of the invention, the source of pressurized air, or of another suitable gas, is constituted by at least one disposable bottle of sterilized pressurized air. In this way, sterility is guaranteed to the apparatus components exposed to contamination risks for each treatment. A further advantage is low cost of production for such components.